The Only Running Footman
by TFLN Twific Contest
Summary: The park across the street, room 2152 in the science building, the second bench on Harkam Street in front of the cute boutique, the neighborhood Starbucks... In every relationship, there is a special location, one where your heart goes: this is it, this is love. For Edward and Bella, it was The Only Running Footman and the twisted path that led to it. A TFLN Contest entry.


**TFLN Contest**

**Title: **The Only Running Footman

**Summary: **The park across the street, room 2152 in the science building, the second bench on Harkam Street in front of the cute boutique, the neighborhood Starbucks... In every relationship, there is a special location, one where your heart goes: this is it, this is love. For Edward and Bella, it was The Only Running Footman and the twisted path that led to it.

**Pairing: **Edward/Bella

**Prompt(s) used: **(314) If we can't get laid at a bar crawl, we should just quit life.

****Disclaimer: ****The author does not own any publicly recognizable entities herein. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

><p><strong>The Only Running Footman<strong>

College is supposed to be a time of fun. According to all the television shows and movies I have ever watched, we should be going to parties, getting drunk, having incredible amounts of sex, and somewhere between all that, study and maybe get a job.

Needless to say, they lied to Emmett and me.

No awesome parties. No booze. Definitely no sex. Plenty of studying and responsible job holding, though.

Which led me to a single text from my best friend as I exited my senior year biology class.

_Dude, bar crawl. - Em_

I rolled my eyes and texted back, _The hell are you talking about? - Ed_

_A bar crawl. A senior year bar crawl. There's a group going, and I scored us invites. - Em_

_Let me guess, Jasper and Alice. - Ed_

_They organized. I got us invited. - Em_

_I'm not going. - Ed_

_Blah blah blah. Not listening. BTW, I finally scored a date with Rose! - Em_

Okay, so maybe the reason I never did any of the fun college stuff was because I refused to go.

**6:35 PM**

**The Apartment**

_Dude, try to look nice tonight, yeah? - Em_

I rolled my eyes and dumped my bag on the cluttered table.

_I already told you I'm not going. - Ed_

Thirty seconds later:

_Yes, you are. Not debatable. Wear that jacket you got last week. - Em_

_When did you become a fashion expert? And I'm still not going. - Ed_

I didn't check my phone again until after I got out of the shower.

_Not me. Alice. Be at the Hole in the Wall 7:30. - Em_

I squeezed my phone and stomped my foot a couple of times. I was not throwing a tantrum, as my idiot roommate Emmett would have put it. I just knew that I was going to get dragged into this mess when I really didn't want to go. For one, I had a final to study for. For another, since Alice had put this stupid event together, it meant that Bella would be there, and I. Did. Not. Need. That.

_I have to study tonight. Finals, remember? - Ed_

_You have at least three more years worth of finals. You have to come out. Bring my fedora. - Em_

_It's not a fedora. It's a trilby. - Ed_

_Yes! You're coming! - Em_

Damn it. He was right.

**7:30**

**The Hole in the Wall**

I took the Cambridge city bus to The Hole in the Wall. It was a pub not far from the campus that was overflowing with college kids. It worried me a little that I already didn't count myself as one of them. I mean, I wouldn't graduate for another month and then had medical school to get through. It wasn't like I was old. I was twenty-two. I wasn't any different than them.

I hopped off the bus and walked across the street to the little white stuccoed pub where Emmett and Alice were waiting.

Emmett, my best friend, was thickly muscled and looked absurd in a tan trench coat that would have looked more at home in a steampunk novel. Alice was short, with inky black hair artfully pointing in every direction. She grinned and waved as I jogged toward them. "Edward!" her clipped British accent was quite noticeable. "I knew you'd come."

"I don't know why I'm here either," I replied sourly. "A hundred things that I have to do, and I'm at a bar crawl."

"Stop grouching." Emmett grinned and snatched his hat from my hand. With it on, he looked like a grade A idiot. He thought he was cool because he looked like the character from L.A. Noire. "We needed to get out. Plus, Bella is here. This could be your best chance to hit that."

"Emmett," I growled, more exasperated than truly upset. "Just drop it."

"Edward, you should at least try. Come on. I miss Jasper." Alice fluttered into the pub, and we followed. I might have dragged my feet on purpose.

The inside of the Hole In The Wall was just what you would expect of a classic English pub, all dark wood and shelves covered in clutter.

It didn't matter, though. As soon as I walked in, my whole world narrowed to a point. That point was Bella Swan. She was a classic, dark-haired beauty, with the palest skin I had ever seen. She could have been Snow White walking straight out of the pages of a fairytale.

Of course, it was more than just some vague beautiful fairytale, too. Bella was witty. I loved to listen to her debate politics or literature. Bella was a storyteller, and she enraptured me.

She also intimidated the hell out of me. I had never been able to say more than ten words to her without sounding like an idiot. I hated it. It fucking sucked, so instead, I loved her from afar. I'd been so obsessed that I had decided to just avoid her, and for the last school year, I had done a good job of it. For the most part, I was able to forget about her, and life moved on.

This time was no different. She was smiling, and her skin had taken on a glow from the yellowish light. My mouth was hanging open, and I forgot that I was supposed to be forgetting about her.

Two meaty hands thumbed my back. "You should ask her out, dude," Emmett said.

I shook myself out from under his hands. "You know it's too late for that."

Em shrugged. "Never too late."

Emmett and I joined the table where the rest of our friends had congregated. There was Alice and her fiancé Jasper, Bella, Rosalie, Angela, Tyler, Jessica, Benjamin, and Tia. I sat on the opposite end from Bella and tried my damndest to ignore her.

We sat around for a hour or so. We commiserated about finials; Alice couldn't stop talking about her wedding. Angela was expecting, which was a good thing, since someone had to stay sober. Emmett flirted with Rose, who was mostly impervious, and Bella was oddly quiet.

Still, that didn't mean anything to me. Or it shouldn't have, anyway. Bella was nothing to me, just a friend of a friend. That was all. Just someone that I talked to in the hallways occasionally. That was it.

Or that should have been it.

In a perfect world.

Dammit. What was wrong with her?

Jasper broke my worries when he raised his half-full glass of Guinness and offered a toast. "To four long years of university being almost over, and to getting completely smashed in celebration."

A chorus of cheers went up from our little end of the pub and from close-by tables who had overheard and were doing the same thing that we were. A few of us were well on our way to smashed, a few others working on it, and the rest patiently waiting to see what would happen next. Bella, I noted, had an empty glass on the table in front of her.

Emmett belched loudly, and everyone laughed, even though they wouldn't think it so funny if they lived with him.

It was going to be a long night.

**The Quiet Woman**

**8:50 PM**

Somehow I ended up in the back seat of a car with Bella.

How did this happen?

What god did I anger?

Let me make this very clear. Bella may be on the shorter side, but she is all leg. The skirt she was wearing was almost non-existent, and those legs, well let's just say I felt like a dog, which is disgusting and chauvinistic, and I should know better, but that was how I felt.

I'm an awful person.

The backseat was small, I was suffocating, and it was far too hot.

It was only after I got over the lust-induced haze that I realized I was as far from Bella as I could get. It was only the two of us back there, and I was pressed up against the door like she had the plague or something. Well, I suppose she did, but it was one that only I was subject to.

That still wasn't an excuse to be rude.

I smiled sheepishly and scooted back over in my seat. She may be completely out of my league, but that didn't mean that I had to be rude.

She rolled her eyes and continued looking out the window. "I was beginning to wonder if I had sprouted horns or something."

"Nope, nothing so dramatic." I chuckled at my bad joke, and she acted like she hadn't even heard. Man, I had really pissed her off. Great, just great. "Look, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean anything by it, honest. You just intimidate me a little. That's all."

Bella finally turned her brown eyes on me. "You're twenty-two years old, Edward, and you're going to be a doctor. I think it's time to stop being intimidated by women."

I wanted to tell her that it wasn't women, just her, but I was taken aback by how upset she was. She was normally so even-tempered and bright. Maybe it wasn't just me she was upset about? I was a little startled by the yearning in my chest to reach out and touch her, to reassure her that I really didn't mean anything by it.

That was hardly appropriate, though, but I did catch her eyes and hold her gaze. "Bella, really, I'm sorry. Friends?"

She blinked, allowing her troubled chocolate brown eyes to clear a little. "It's okay. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to jump down your throat."

"S'okay." I shrugged. "Say, where's Jake? I hardly see you guys without the other anymore."

Did I mention Bella had a boyfriend? Oh, yeah, forgot that detail.

Her face hardened again, and she turned to glare out the window. "He decided that he didn't want to go out tonight. Jackass."

I didn't know what to say, and she didn't say anything else. It was a quiet ride.

The Silent Lady was a dive bar. The whole group of us, now about forty members strong, was cramped shoulder to shoulder, elbow to elbow, like sardines in a can. Even for all its discomfort, it was my favorite pub in town. I liked all the old pictures on the wall. It was like the place was soaked in layers of history. It was a constant reminder that we were hardly the first to sit here, drink beer, and clumsily hit on girls, and we wouldn't be the last. It was a comforting thought, to me a least.

Someone had produced a pack of playing cards, and I was watching a game of poker that Emmett was trying to show off at for Rosalie, when Bella approached me.

She sat on the chair next to me and leaned over so that her lips were but a brush length from my ears. She was so close that I could feel the warmth seeping off her, smell the fruity scent of her shampoo, and feel the ends of her hair that fell out of her bun brush against my face. She had never been so close to me, and I was struck dumb by her presence.

"I'm really sorry about the car ride. I was rude. I'm mad at Jake and took it out on you."

"Don't mention it. I mean, I'm sorry, too. I acted like an ass and..."

Bella reached out and placed one finger over my lips. Her touch burned, causing me to jump back in shock. She smirked and I smiled back like an idiot. "Are we just going to apologize to each other all night, or can we go back to being friends?"

"Friends. Definitely friends."

She handed me a new beer she'd brought with her. "You know, I thought, what with the way that you've been avoiding me all year, that I might have pissed you off."

"What? No!" I sputtered. "Really, you haven't. I mean, you didn't do anything. It was all me…"

"Whoa, whoa. Calm down, mister." Bella giggled. "You know, you are kinda cute when you blush."

That, of course, only made me blush harder.

"Listen, just forget about the past year. It doesn't matter. Tell me what's been happening."

With the awkwardness out of the way, I was able to talk like a normal human being. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed just talking to Bella. She was smart, funny, and perceptive. She thought in ways that I never could have, and I loved her fresh outlook on things. A half hour flew by before we resurfaced from our bubble.

"Okay, where are we going next?" Alice asked, and dozens of voices threw out options. I couldn't even hear them all. I didn't care where we went as long as Bella stayed close by.

Then I had to kick myself. I'd forgotten. Bella had a boyfriend. She and Jake had been going out for almost two years and seemed to be pretty serious. They'd been living together for six months. Even though they seemed to be on the rocks at the moment, I didn't doubt that they would work everything out by morning.

I'd had a chance at one point, but I'd waited too long. It was over.

There was no getting that back.

**The Skiving Scholar**

**9:55**

Emmett liked The Skiving Scholar_,_ because it had a funny and naughty name. I liked The Skiving Scholar because it had pool.

"Ten quid says I can take you, Cullen." Bella dropped a wad of crushed bills on the edge of the pool table. There was some hooting, hollering, and jeering from our friends gathered around us. Bella arched her eyebrow in challenge as if daring me to turn her down.

"I am not good at a great many things, Ms. Swan. I can't carry a tune to save my life. I don't know the difference between Impressionism and Romantic Art. I still, for the life of me, do not understand the parliamentary system of government, but if there is something I do know and know well, it is pool." I smirked and waggled my eyebrows back at her.

"Put your money where your mouth is before I find somewhere else for it."

"You wish." My cool, suave attitude was ruined when my cheeks turned pink. Damn blush.

"Just cue the balls, loverboy." There was a wicked spark in her eyes that, to be perfectly honest, turned me on a little.

Okay, it was a lot.

"Ladies first?" I offered her the break so that I could remain calm, cool, and collected. I realized my mistake as soon as she bent over the table, arching her arms and shoulders to reach for the cue ball, and pushing her ass out. Her very nice, very round ass.

I might have drooled.

Needless to say, with a performance like that, I lost ten quid. She smirked, counting out my five and ones before wrapping an arm around my own and towing me toward the bar. "Come on. I'll buy you a drink."

"With my own money?"

"My money now."

We were seated with two beers before I got up the courage to ask the question that had been burning on my tongue. "So, what was that all about?"

"All what about?"

"You know, that." I turned red again. I really had to stop blushing. "You flashing cleavage and leg, and your butt and, um, ya know, that."

Bella giggled. "You're not a virgin, are you?"

"What? No." I sputtered, a little flabbergasted. "I have, I mean, what does it matter?"

"Relax, big boy. You're just adorable when you're all flustered." She winked, and I could feel my ears burning now. "I'm just teasing you. It was fun. Which is why I played pool that way. Why do you ask? Did you think I was coming on to you?"

"No. I mean you and Jake have been together forever. I didn't think that at all."

Bella's face fell, and her lips screwed up in a sneer. "Yeah, well, he doesn't get a say in everything I do."

Bella's whole body seemed to vibrate with angry energy. It was the last thing I would have expected from her. "You and Jake having problems?"

She shrugged, clearly annoyed. "Yeah. We got in a fight earlier."

"I wondered why you weren't with him."

"Oh my god." Bella turned to glare at me, and I leaned back away from her glower. "Why does everyone seem to think that we're joined at the hip? I can do things without him, you know?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything. It's just that you guys are together, and the only time I've seen you without him is in the hallways at school and.."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Bella sighed heavily and shook her head. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. I guess I'm just tired of the lie."

"Lie?" For the first time in quite a while, Bella looked like someone other than the snarky, brilliant woman she put herself out as. She looked tired, with lines on her face and a huge chip on her shoulder. If she wanted to talk to me, then I would be there to listen, but I didn't really know if I should push her either. I mean, we were friends, but we'd never been that close before.

"Yeah, lie. The 'Jacob and Bella are a perfect couple' lie." Bella laughed harshly and took a mouthful of her beer. "You know, I didn't even want to go out with him at first. I finally just gave him a pity date. He can flash those puppy dog eyes and get anyone to do anything. One date turned into two years and a live-in boyfriend. And the sex was good."

I choked on a swallow of beer. "Was it?"

Bella smirked to tease me. "Down boy, yeah, the sex was pretty good, but Jake and I have nothing in common. Nothing. He likes cars and going for runs. I like reading and visiting museums. You remember when we went to London over spring break?"

I nodded.

"The only place I really wanted to go was the British Museum. The entire time we were there, he bitched and moaned. I finally couldn't take it anymore, and we left. Ended up at some stupid car show, and he didn't even understand why I was upset that night."

"I'm sorry." And I really was. I hated that she was unhappy, and I hated that I hadn't noticed.

"Isn't everyone? The whole damn world is sorry." Bella finished her drink, and the melancholy settled deeper into her face. "You're sorry, I'm sorry, Jake's sorry. Everyone is just so fucking sorry. Do you ever get tired of being sorry?"

I had to fight the urge to groan. There was something incredibly sexy about her soft, accented voice cursing. Wait, what had she asked?

"I don't know exactly what you mean, but no, I don't. Being sorry is just part of being human. It's a compass point. It tells us when something's wrong. When something needs to change. It's only bad when we don't do something about it."

Bella stared at me with half a real smile on her face and the softest eyes I had ever seen. I had this sudden urge to kiss her. Not just because she was attractive and I wanted to fuck her, but because she was scared and frozen in a moment of indecision, and I wanted to give her something to cling to. I wanted her to know that she wasn't alone and that she had someone in this world who understood.

Of course, I didn't. I smiled back, but that was all I could do. She wasn't mine.

"When did you get so smart?" she whispered.

"Somewhere between biology and English lit?"

"You're adorable." I wondered for a moment if she meant more than that. The look in her big brown eyes was adorable. It was deeper, more meaningful than that. "Come on, let's go."

"Where are we going?" I asked, following her like a good little puppy.

"To get the others. I know where we should go next."

**The Swan With Two Necks**

**11:00**

The Swan With Two Necks was not a bar at all, really. It was a beer garden. In the downtown area, you had to walk down a long dark alley. At the end of it, unnoticeable from the beginning, was an awning covered in twinkling white Christmas lights. Underneath was a smattering of tables, a bar, and a large hardwood dance floor.

It was easy to see why Bella loved the place.

As soon as we got there, she grabbed my hand and dragged me through the dark alley and into the fairy light. Her grin was infectious, and since she had started the contact, I was unable to let her hand go. I liked how her small, thin fingers felt wrapped around my own. Her skin, normally as pale as Snow White, was brought to life by the twinkling white lights. Her eyes and hair reflected the light. She was beautiful beyond a doubt, a fairy princess choosing to dance among the mortals.

It was fair to say I was enthralled. I was smitten. I was in love, and in that moment my heart broke.

She was already swaying to the old school jazz music by the time we made it to the bar. After the first drink, she was ready for a spin.

"Dance with me."

"I don't dance," I protested as she pulled me along. "Really, Bella. Don't make me do this, please?"

She threw her head back and laughed, exposing the long, graceful arch of her neck. "You gotta learn to live, Edward."

"I live just fine," I muttered. We'd reached the edge of the dance floor, and a trippy little jazz song came on. Bella must have recognized it because her grin grew wider, and she pulled hard at my arm. "Bella, no."

"In order to live, you have to experience things, like dancing." She gave another tug, and I was forced to put feet on hardwood. "Don't worry. I'll lead."

And she did. I couldn't count the number of times I stepped on her toes or tried to swerve when she zagged, but all she did was laugh it off and keep dancing. The more I did it, the more I found myself enjoying it. I had to block out the fact that we were surrounded by people and likely making fools of ourselves. Bella's laugh was the best sound that I heard, and I tried to listen to it more than anything else.

After three songs, I realized that Bella knew everything single one. "You like jazz music?"

"Jazz music lives, Edward." She spun out, and I barely caught her when she came back. "It breathes; it moves. The good stuff, you can listen to a hundred times and still be surprised by it every time. Jazz music, even when it's sad, is hopeful."

The song changed, the tempo slowed, and Bella crept closer to me. Her arm wrapped around my waist. She reached for the opposite of mine to do the same, but I did it for her. She was closer to me than she had ever been. I could smell her, like lavender and rain, feel her warmth pressed up against my front, the fingers of her right hand tangled around my own. Best of all, I could hear her. She'd starting singing with the warbly voice on the record.

_I'm confessin' that I love you . . . _

_Tell me, do you love me too? _

_I'm confessin' that I need you, _

_Honest I do, need you every moment! _

There was something that had been bugging me since our conversation at the Skiving Scholar. "Bella, why did you not want to go out with Jake at first?"

Bella smiled like she was hiding a secret. I was surprised by the urge I felt to kiss her. I wanted to suck on that plump bottom lip before plunging my tongue into her mouth, twining it around her own, stealing the air from her lungs. I wanted to pull her so that there wasn't an inch of space between us. No air, no clothes, just our skin and the sound of our whispered moans.

I blinked and brought myself back to reality. Bella traced the arch of my cheekbones with one finger, and I shivered, unable to truly breathe, captured in the dark mystery of her eyes.

"You. I was waiting on you, but you never asked."

"You were waiting on me?"

"Yeah." She nodded, still swaying to the music. "You make me laugh, and you're really sweet. Not to mention, you're really good looking. I thought you might ask. I thought you might have liked me too, but you never did. Then I was gearing up to ask you, just to get it off my chest, when Jake asked for the thousandth time, and I thought, 'yeah, now here's someone who clearly wants me.' Love the one you're with, right?"

It was Bella's turn to blush. Her cheeks turned the prettiest shade of pink I had ever seen. I couldn't help but touch her. I cupped her cheek in my palm, felt the heat against my skin. She closed her eyes and leaned into my hand with a sigh of contentment.

"All this time, I could have been with you?" I whispered, my voice weakened with shock.

"Yeah." She looked at me with burning eyes full of questions that I couldn't decipher. "And then last year, when you were acting like I didn't exist, it all came back, and I realised that I wasn't over whatever this is."

"Would you believe me if I told you that I was avoiding you because I was trying to get over you?"

"Yeah, I might."

"We're idiots." I laughed.

"Seriously." she chuckled.

_Am I guessin' that you love me? _

_Dreamin' dreams of you in vain, _

_I'm confessin' that I love you, _

_Over again! _

The record continued wobbling, weaving its spell. Bella and I were nearly still by now. My lips were so close to hers that I could feel her tiny puffs of breath.

"Do you believe that we get second chances?" she whispered.

"Sometimes. I guess. I mean, I don't know. We could and never know it. It hardly seems fair if we don't, but then the world isn't fair, or so they say, and anyway..."

"Edward, shut up and kiss me."

I didn't have to be told twice. I closed the nonexistent space between us in a heartbeat, kissing her full lips, twisting my fingers into the long tresses of her brown hair. Her tiny hands gripped my jacket, pulling me down to her harder.

Although the kiss was soft and fragile, there was something incredibly right about it. The warmth of her skin, the smell of her hair, the sound of the soft moans that escaped her lips all conspired to send me to cloud nine. After all this time spent wondering what it would be like to kiss Bella Swan, I finally knew, and it was fucking perfection.

She pulled away, and I couldn't let her go. I found myself kissing her nose, her eyelids, her forehead, her cheeks, anything that I could reach. I didn't know why I hadn't done this years ago. I didn't feel like I was really standing on the ground. I didn't care where we were or who was around us.

I should have cared. I really should have cared.

"Bella, what the hell?"

Bella and I jumped apart guiltily at the familiar voice.

"Jake?" Bella gasped. "What are you doing here?"

Oh, we were screwed.

**The Hung, Drawn, and Quartered**

**12:10**

"Drink up, man." Emmett placed a fresh beer in front of me and slapped my back. "You tried; you got shot down. Now you get to drown your sorrows in alcohol and wake up with a hangover."

"Thanks for the encouragement," I muttered dryly.

After Jake had shown up, Bella went to talk to him. We'd left The Swan With Two Necks and went two blocks over to The Hung, Drawn, and Quartered_._ Bella had said she'd call, but the longer it took, the more I started to lose hope. She was just going to go back to Jake where it was comfortable and safe. Couldn't say I blamed her.

I couldn't get our kiss out of my head. The way her body molded to mine, the warmth, the softness of her skin. I wanted it all and so much more. I wanted her to be here sitting next to me. I wanted her to roll her eyes at the ridiculousness of this conversation. I wanted to lean over and whisper into her ear about all the things I was gonna do to her when we got home.

Fantasy. It was all just fantasy.

"I'm really sorry, Edward." Alice's soft voice matched the rather bleak tone of the table. "She's been unhappy for a while. I thought that maybe if she knew that there was something else out there for her, she might consider staying."

"It's not your fault. It's just one of those things. I would rather have had what I did than… wait. What do you mean leaving?"

"She didn't tell you?"Alice's fine eyebrows drew together in confusion.

"Tell me what?"

"Edward, Bella's moving. To London."

"What?" Bella hadn't said anything about moving. Maybe Alice had just misunderstood whatever Bella had told her. Why would Bella move, and why did it feel like she had led me on?

"Yeah, um, she got this job working for a publishing house. It's entry level, but she'll have a lot of room to move up. You know she's never really liked Cambridge, and she's been wanting to be closer to her parents. She's leaving the day after graduation. That's what she and Jacob have been fighting about."

I shook my head, trying to process the information. "She said that she Jake were just fighting about normal stuff."

"Well, they have." Alice shrugged. "But it's more than just that. Jacob doesn't want to go, but he doesn't want to lose Bella, either."

"Poor guy." Jasper offered. "I think he really does love her."

"He oughta. He followed her around like a little lost puppy for months before she agreed to go out with him." Emmett snickered. "He's totally whipped."

"Being in love with someone doesn't make you whipped, Emmett." Jasper sounded offended, and Rosalie started to give Emmett shit as well, but then what else was new?

I was left to my thoughts for a moment, and man, oh man, were they messy. On the one hand, I was falling hard for Bella, and that one kiss had sealed my fate. On the other, she still had Jake, and she was moving.

Why hadn't she told me? We weren't that close of friends until tonight, obviously, but close enough that kind of news could have come up. It wouldn't have been a problem. She could have told me. We could have had a fun night out and then gone our separate ways.

Now, things were different. I'd felt the heat from her skin and been burned. I wouldn't be able to forget even if I wanted to, and I definitely didn't want to. I wanted to go running out to find her right then. I really didn't care about Jake. Bella wasn't happy with him, but for just a second, she'd been happy with me, and I wanted a chance to see what could come of that. I wanted that chance.

Then I remembered she was moving anyway, so what was the point? I was enrolled here for at least the next year and moving med schools was something that was generally frowned upon.

At the end of the day, I wanted her happy.

I moaned and took a deep swallow of my beer. Emmett was right. I'd tried; I failed. Nothing left to do but to get hammered and wake up with a hangover. Like that would cure all woes.

**One That Almost Got Away**

**1:20**

The others wanted to karaoke. I didn't much care for it, but I did laugh my ass off watching them. It was so damn funny. Then again, I was well on my way to drunk, so my senses might have been altered.

No matter what level of inebriation, Emmett singing in a high falsetto was hilarious.

We were on round two at the ironically named One That Almost Got Away, when my phone buzzed in my pocket and startled me.

_I'm sorry I ran off. How's the rest of the bar crawl going? - Bella_

Too drunk to be properly angry yet, I texted back:

_Karaoke. So damn funny. - Ed_

_Sounds amusing. Have Emmett and Jasper done _I Got You Babe_ yet? - Bella_

_Not yet. You should come see it. - Ed_

What in the hell had made me ask that? I really didn't know if I wanted to see Bella. For one, I was drunk. I wouldn't see past my damn beer goggles. I wanted her far too much to think about anything but having her—repeatedly.

But we needed to talk, and I needed to not be drunk. I doubted that she was done with Jacob anyway. It was just my drunk mind being far too direct.

_Wish I could, but Jake went to go for a walk and clear his head, and I don't want to just walk out on him. - Bella_

All it takes is one spark to light a fire, and Bella did it. She didn't want to run out on Jacob, but she didn't mind kissing me, making me fall for her, and then leaving as soon as he showed. Worse still, she hadn't told me that she was leaving, for good. She was going to start something, just to leave both Jake and me. I mean, who did that?

_Oh sure, don't walk out on him. - Ed_

It was a five or ten minutes before she replied, and during that time, I found myself shaking. Whether it was with rage or worry, I couldn't quite tell.

_The hell is that supposed to mean? - Bella_

_You tell me. You kissed me. - Ed_

The next reply was instant.

_I thought you liked it. - Bella_

_I did. I just didn't expect you to run off two seconds later. - Ed_

_Jake and I have been going out for two years. He at least deserves an explanation. What? Can you not be patient for a couple hours? - Bella_

It wasn't hard to picture the arch of her eyebrows and the sarcastic tone of her voice in that one.

_Oh, if only that was all. - Ed_

_Okay, what is your problem, Edward? Just spit it out, or I'm gonna quit asking. - Bella_

I felt bad for half a second. I mean, I didn't want her to be mad, I didn't want her to be upset, and I didn't want to have this conversation drunk or over the phone. But I was pissed, and I didn't have a lot of self control.

_The problem? What about leading me on without telling me that you're moving? to London? - Ed_

_Shit, shit, shit. Who told you? - Bella_

_Alice. Didn't think that would be a problem, did you? - Ed_

_Edward, I'm so sorry. I was going to tell you, really. I was just trying to find the right time. - Bella_

_Before or after you kissed me? I mean, was that even real, or were you just looking to get your kicks in before blowing town? - Ed_

It felt like eons before she replied, and during that time, I second-guessed everything. I second-guessed her motives, my motives, the texts. I felt like an ass for laying into her like that. I mean, I didn't know for sure that she had led me on. I almost picked up my phone a handful of time to apologize, but in the end just didn't.

_Edward, please let me explain. Please. - Bella_

I ignored her quiet plea, and the next, and the next. As much as I hated to admit it, I wanted her to feel hurt. It was childish, and I knew it, but I wanted her to stew.

She sent six texts before she sent the one that broke my resolve.

_I really am sorry. I'm leaving Jacob. I want to explain. Meet me at the beginning if you want it. Otherwise, don't bother me again, and I won't bother you. - Bella_

The idea that I would never get to see her again was enough to break through my hurt. I snuck out of The One That Almost Got Away and didn't look back.

**I Am The Only Running Footman**

**2:00**

It all began at The Only Running Footman. Four years ago, right after I'd moved to Cambridge, I was homesick. I was looking for somewhere that reminded me of home. I found the oddest named pub ever, and though it didn't look or feel anything like home, I went in. I wasn't quite sure why, but I would never complain about it, because she was waiting on me.

Bella was having a tough time. Her mother was battling cancer, and she hated being so far away her. She didn't know if she was going to pull out of it, and it's hard to sit on the sidelines. She was trying not to cry at the bar, and I couldn't stand to sit and watch her, so I asked her what was wrong.

I've always wondered why she chose to talk to me, a complete stranger. At first I just thought that she needed someone to talk to and I was an available body. The more I got to know her, the more I realized that I was wrong. Bella had people to talk to. She didn't need me for that.

I didn't know what she needed me for.

I Am the Only Running Footman was the quietest pub I'd been in all night. There was only a handful of people and not much music. It was just one of those little neighborhood pubs that only the regulars visited.

She was sitting in the same stool that she had been sitting in all those years ago. Her hair was down, and her shoulders were slumped in her too-big jacket. When I sat next to her, she gave me a weary smile.

We didn't say anything. What was there to say? I'd sobered up a little on the walk over and knew that I'd been a grade-A dick on the phone. I was still upset that she hadn't told me about London, but I couldn't really blame her about the whole Jacob thing. I mean, I had chased her too, knowing that she and Jacob were still an item.

"I'm sorry," we both muttered at the same time. We shared a laugh and then kept glancing back and forth, waiting to see who would speak first.

"I'm sorry." I took the opportunity.

"What do you have to be sorry for? I was the one who led you on."

"I could have stopped at any moment." I shrugged. "And I didn't have to be so rude to you, so I'm sorry."

"Wasn't anything that I didn't deserve, but thanks anyway." She took a deep breath, like she was preparing for battle. "Okay, so I do owe you an explanation.

"I meant what I said. I was going to tell you. I've only known I got the job for a couple weeks. I only told Alice, because I needed someone to talk to after Jacob's very bad reaction."

"He didn't take it well, huh?"

"Um, no." She shook her head, laughing half-heartedly. "He has these dreams. Little cottage in the country, a garden, 2.5 kids. It's very sweet and very pastoral, and I guess it's what anyone should want."

"Sounds like a kind of hell." I hated being more than three blocks from a grocery store, so the country was a no go for me. "So London doesn't match up with that dream, huh?"

"You could say not." Bella's eyes darkened, and she bit her lip. "I hurt him. I didn't mean to. I mean, I don't love him, not like he wants me to, but I didn't want to hurt him. I thought that he knew as well I do that we're just not meant to be together. I thought it might be the straw that breaks the camel's back, and we'd break up. I didn't think he would want to try to 'work through this.'"

"He didn't want to let you go. Can't say I blame him."

"Thanks." She took a moment to breathe, and I gave her space. She would tell me what was going on in her own time. "So, earlier tonight I wanted to go on the bar crawl. Jacob wanted to go on this super romantic date. I told him not tonight, and we argued for what felt like hours. It was awful. I finally told him that I was through and that I was going with or without him and stormed out."

"So, where do I come into this?"

"I saw you at the bar, and you were acting all grouchy. I'd harbored a crush on you for years; I wanted to make you smile. Then one thing led to another, and at the Swan with Two Necks, I realized how much I really enjoyed this. The moment got away, and I kissed you."

"And then Jacob showed up."

"Yeah. He wanted to make up with me. Thought he would go on the rest of the bar crawl, and then we could talk, or whatever. Now I've managed to hurt him again, and you too."

"It's okay." I wanted to be mad at her. I wanted to rant and rave, but I couldn't. She hadn't meant to hurt anyone. Things happened and there wasn't anything anyone could do about it now. "Are you and Jacob breaking up?"

Bella nodded. "Yeah. I told him we were breaking up anyway. I'm not quite sure that he believed me, but we are. I can't do anything else."

"Where does that leave us?" I asked halfheartedly. This situation was so messed up, and I should have been livid, but I still wanted her. I couldn't help it. I knew she was hurting, and I knew she had messed up, but that wasn't who she was. I knew it.

At the same time, though, she'd just broken up with her long-time boyfriend. She needed space, and Jacob needed space.

"I don't know," she answered slowly, hiding her face behind her hair. "I'm still moving."

"To London?"

"Yeah. I've been wanting to move for a while. I miss my mom, and it's a great opportunity. I was going to tell you."

"Yeah, I believe you." I did. She wasn't trying to hide things from me. "I know that you've never liked it here."

"It's not as bad as I made it out to be."

"That's good. I'll miss you, though."

Bella kept her eyes on the worn wood of the bar as she said, "You could come with me."

I wanted to say yes. I wanted this to be one of those moments when people knew they were supposed to be together and would run after each other at the airport. The moment was soaked in realism, and I hated it. "I can't. I'm already enrolled here for the next year."

Bella nodded, and she looked so dejected that I couldn't help but pull her into my arms. Her chin nestled into my neck, her arms around my waist. This felt too right. This was everything that I wanted. It was even better than when we were dancing. She was beautiful, and I wanted her. She wanted me. Why did this have to be wrong?

"I don't like goodbyes." Bella's voice was muffled by my jacket, but I heard her clear enough. "I keep thinking that if I had just turned Jake down one more time and I'd asked you out, then we might be moving to London together."

I smiled and couldn't help kissing the crown of her head. She snuggled deeper into me in response. "I like that image."

"I was such an idiot."

"We both were." I ran my fingers through her silky brown hair marveling at the texture, wondering why I hadn't had this for the last several years. If I had just been brave at the beginning, then Bella would never have gone out with Jacob. She would be with me, and we could be celebrating now instead of saying goodbye.

_Unless…_

"We don't have to say goodbye, you know?"

Bella brought her head up and studied my face with hopeful brown eyes. "What did you have in mind?"

"Maybe we need to slow down. You go to London; I'll stay here, but it doesn't have to be goodbye. We could still talk. Meet up occasionally? You know, just see where this goes."

Bella didn't say anything, and the longer it went, the more nervous I got. I started to squirm under her gaze and wondered what was going on in that mind of hers.

"You mean like long distance?" she finally said. "When has that ever worked?"

"Well, we wouldn't have to make it official or anything. We could just try to be friends and see if it becomes more."

I sounded stupid saying it. I wanted to be her boyfriend and yet not at the same time.

Bella smiled though. "I'd like that."

"You would?"

"Yeah. Take this slow. Be friends first. It has a certain ring to it, and there are things I need to take care of first anyway. You just can't be scared of me anymore, alright?"

"Deal." I smirked. I was fully aware that friends didn't hold friends like I was certainly wrapped around Bella, but I didn't know when I would get to do this again, and I was loathe to let her go.

"I should go," Bella whispered reluctantly. "I need to really settle things with Jacob. I probably need to find a place to stay, too."

"You could stay with us."

"Tempting." Bella smirked but sobered up quickly. "But I don't think we should risk it. The whole not rushing into anything thing."

I nodded to agree, but I felt like doing a jig. Bella wanted me. Even after all this mess, she wanted me.

"I can go stay with Alice. I've done it before when Jacob and I were fighting." She disentangled herself from my arms, and I let her go. My heart sank, but there were still butterflies swimming in my stomach, because I had hope that this wouldn't be the last time that I got to touch her.

Her fingers traced my cheek, her touch so soft that I could barely feel her. "What do you think? One more for the road?"

I smirked, grabbed her waist, and kissed her. It was short and chaste, but there was something there, a low fire just starting to grow. I didn't want to let her go when she pulled away softly. She slipped through my fingers and was gone in an instant.

Later, much later, when I checked my phone again, I had a text message from Emmett.

_Got in a fight with Rose. Man, if we can't get laid on a bar crawl, we should just give up on life or something. - Em_

_I don't know. Maybe the slow path is the better one this time. - Ed_

**The Gate Hangs Well**

**London**

**One Year Later**

I'd been sitting outside the pub for fifteen minutes. My excuse was that I was waiting for Emmett to reply. The truth was that I was nervous to go inside.

_Sorry. Was changing diapers. Gross shit. Anyway, so what are you gonna do? - Em_

I smirked, imagining him with his three month old daughter. How much things changed in a year.

_I don't know yet. I mean, I like her, but I haven't really seen her in a year. - Ed_

_Dude, you talk to her every night. Do you love her or not? - Em_

_I don't know, jackass. - Ed_

_Look, you're making this too complicated. Just go in there, and get the girl already. Now Rose and I have a date planned, and the sitter just got here. Don't text me. Go get her, tiger. - Em_

I sent one more message.

_You're a jackass. - Ed_

As soon as the message was sent, I turned the phone off and climbed out of the car. I didn't want the excuse for distractions. Not tonight.

The pub was beginning to fill with Friday night partiers, but I managed to grab a table in the back. After hours in the car I wanted to stretch my legs, but there was no time. She was due any time now, and I didn't want to miss a second.

My stomach was twisted into knots, and my mouth was dry. I'd been looking forward to this for months, and now that the moment was here, I didn't know what to do with myself. I could barely breathe, I was so anxious. I wanted this to go well. I needed this to go well.

My knee bounced, and I kept getting these weird and worried looks. I supposed I couldn't blame them. I was freaking out a little.

Then, in the blink of an eye, I wasn't, because she was here. She was just as beautiful as I remembered. More, really. Her long brown hair was still glossy and beautiful, her eyes deep and soulful, her lips perfectly kissable. She carried herself differently. Shoulders back, chin up, delightfully wicked grin on her lips. She took what little breath I had away completely.

She spotted me in the back, grinned, and the nerves came back even worse.

Bella. Tonight was the night.

As soon as she could get through the growing crowd, she threw her arms around my neck and hugged me. I grabbed her waist, picking her up off her feet in excitement. She squealed, and I laughed.

"I've missed you." She spoke first when we settled into our seats.

"We've talked every day. Hardly anything to miss."

"No. I don't guess so." She turned a pretty shade of pink, and I might have stared like a doe-eyed teenager. "Still, you sitting here, face to face, I missed that."

"Me too." I hadn't seen Bella since Alice and Jasper's wedding back in the summer. We spent time catching up. She asked about Emmett, Rose, and Emily. Emmett had gotten laid the night of the bar crawl after all, and nine months later, he and Rose had Emily. I honestly had never seen Emmett happier. "Being a dad suits him."

"I can see that." Bella smiled, but her eyes darkened, and she looked anywhere but at me. "So, um, how did school go?"

"Okay. I'm really starting to get sick of it. I just want life to start already."

Bella nodded. "Have you thought about what I suggested?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I have." I nodded. "I, uh, can't seem to think about anything else."

Bella's deep brown eyes sparkled with what could only be called hope. "In fact, I really like the idea. One year off. School will always be there, right? There was just one thing I wanted to change."

The beginnings of a smile were on her face as she leaned across the table. "What's that?"

"I don't want to stay in Cambridge. I thought I might move to London."

Bella all but jumped across the table and into my arms. One second I was just sitting there; the next I was kissing her like I'd been wanting to for a year. She was everywhere, her lips hot and tangled around my own, her body pressed against me, her smell. There was nothing else but Bella.

She pulled away just enough to ask, "Let's go back to my place?"

I nodded, but letting her go was a chore. The twenty minutes it took us to get through London traffic to her flat was hell. As soon as she had the door shut, I had her up against it. There was nothing in that moment but her, warm and solid and just there. I'd been dreaming of this moment, and I was not going to waste it now that she was here.

"Edward." She giggled around my lips. "I have a bed, you know."

"Who needs a bed?" I nipped her bottom lip. "Beds are overrated."

"Oh. Have I fallen in love with a sexual deviant by accident."

My eyes widened, and I stopped kissing her, frozen by shock. "You, you love me?" I stuttered like an imbecile.

"Yeah." Bella's cheeks turned the prettiest shade of pink I had ever seen. "I know it's early and everything, and I wasn't going to say anything. That just kinda slipped out. Say something?"

I felt a grin spread slowly across my face and cupped her cheeks between my palms. "Bella Swan, I fucking love you."

"Graceful." She snickered and pulled me back down to where she could reach my lips. "Now, take me to bed please, Cullen? I've been waiting for this for a year."

I don't remember most of that night. I remember her on top once. That was an image I would never be able to erase from my mind. I remember staying up all night and making love to her. I remember sleepy and sweet, and desperate and passionate. I remember not falling asleep until the sun was coming up and waking later in the afternoon to her smile and nothing else.

And really, what else did I need?

* * *

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